| Agra
 Agra
is famous as being home to one of the seven wonders of the world-the
Taj Mahal. The architectural splendour of the cmausoleums, the fort
and the palaces is a vivid remainder of the mausoleums, the fort
and the palaces is a vivid reminder of the capital in the 16th and
early 17th centuries.
While
its significance as a political centre ended with the transfer of
the capital to Delhi in 1634 by Shah Jahan, its architectural wealth
has secured its place on the international map.
A
pleasant town with comparatively slow pace, Agra is known for its
superb inlay work on marble and soastone by craftsman who are descendant
of those who worked under the Mughals. The city is also famous for
its carpets, gold thread embroidery and leather shoes.
Agra
was once the capital of the Mughal empire and even today it seems
to linger in the past . Not surprising , for the Mughal emperors
with their passion for building, endowed the city with some of the
finest structures in the world . It is very easy to slip away here
through the centuries into the grandeur and intrigues of the Mughal
court .
Fatehpur
Sikri
Agra is an old city and it is said that its name was derived from
Agrabana, a forest that finds mention in the epic Mahabharata.
In
more recent times Agra came into prominence when Sikandar Lodi made
it his capital city in 1501 . The Lodi rule was to end very soon
and Agra passed into the possession of the Mughals .
It
was during the time of the third emperor Akbar that Agra came into
its own . He embarked on the construction of the massive Agra Fort
in 1565. Though Akbar was diverted into building a new capital at
Fatehpur sikri not far away.
Agra
continued to retain its importance and Shah Jehan, Akbar's garndson
ornamented the city with that masterpiece of Mughal architecture
- the Taj Mahal and built several other beautiful buildings within
the Agra fort .
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